Throwback to the future: Neo-noir games you must check out

In this fast-paced world of ours, where video games look more like real life than real life can sometimes, it’s nice to sometimes take a step back and revisit the games that turned us into nerds in the first place. And even though some of those games were made years ago, sometimes the premise of the game goes even further back in time. I know that the majority of us nerds play our favorite throwback games all the time: The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, and so, so much more. However, I’ve been revisiting a lot of other games as well. Trust me, if you haven’t played them yet, here’s all the reasons why you should.

As winter comes around, I always find myself in the mood to stick to mainly detective and noir games. Something about the rain; something about the trench coats. Who’s to say? I’ve played three just in these past few weeks, and they’ve helped in reminding me why I like mystery stuff so much.

The first one I played was a classic; Sherlock Holmes.

The Sherlock games go all the way back to 1987. Although the older ones aren’t always as good as the newer ones, all of them are worth playing if you get the chance. All of them give you that proper detective feel, but specific ones like The Awakened and The Case of the Silver Earring really do the trick.

Next, a personal favorite, the Blade Runner game from 1997.

The movie follows Rick, played by Harrison Ford, and his journey through a neo-noir Los Angeles to unlock secrets about the replicants.

Although the game follows along with some of the movie’s original plot, with various known characters making an appearance, our main character is not the same and the storyline is altered. Even cooler, Rick is mentioned several times throughout the video game. How cool!

The movie was fantastic, and the game allows us to relive the movie from a different perspective. Play it if you get the chance!

Lastly, a new game I fell in love with, the Tex Murphy series from 1989 to present. (Specifically, Under a Killing Moon.)

The video games take full advantage of FMV (full motion video). This means they film real people in front of a green screen and then pop them into the video game later. This feature makes the game look really cool, and really takes you back. It just feels authentic, making it even more fun to play.

The storyline follows along with our protagonist, Tex Murphy; “a down-on-his-luck private investigator in a post-nuclear future San Francisco, borrowing tropes from both the film noir and cyberpunk genres.” (via Wikipedia)

The Tex Murphy games really take you into the whole neo-noir, detective feel. It’s like the epitome of it all! So if you’re really wanting to flash back in time (or in this case, the future), then Tex Murphy will definitely do that.

All of these games do a perfect job at taking me back in time in both ways, visually and virtually. I get to play some classic things that embody the word throwback, but also play as detectives throughout different time periods and feel noir as hell.

If you’re looking for something along those lines, then I highly suggest the games above. And on a side note, if you’re just looking for some perfect detective/noir games in general, check our LA Noire, Wolf Among Us, or Murdered Soul Suspect.

Have any suggestions?! (Please do, I love these games.) Comment below!